Blog Break

I'm taking a blog break while I care for my mom's dog Kerry.  Kerry was diagnosed with cancer last week (on her third birthday).  My husband and I are providing hospice for her at our home.  She is not in pain and enjoying what time she has left with us and her (our) many dog friends here.

Kerry 6 weeks ago.

I'm trying to keep up on my Pennsylvania Piecemaker blog but for right now, I need to take a break from the 3 poodles blog.  

Thanks a bunch for understanding.  

Have a safe and happy day.

I Like Thursdays: August 10, 2023

 

Good morning and happy Thursday!

I hope you are having a pleasant week!  It's time for another edition of "I like Thursdays" when bloggers share happiness and fill the internet with positive energy.  For more happy posts, be sure to visit our hostess LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color!

This week I like the power of love!  Many of you know that we are avid Phillies baseball fans.  This year has been a rollercoaster of emotions as our team surprises us at various times and other times falls short.  But there is a new member on our team, Trea Turner, who joined the team this year.  I told my husband I wasn't impressed with his work early in our season.  My husband retorted with Trea's stats from last year like I didn't know what I was relaying.  But hubby had been on the road and not able to watch the games.  As he recovered from surgery, he admitted, "Turner is the biggest disappointment this year."  The sentiment was echoed by our Phillies-loving friends.

And then something happened during last Friday's game.  The announcer relayed that the team had come together to give Turner support.  Someone (I think Bryson Stott) made Trea t-shirts and the team worked with him before the game commenced.  When Turner came up to bat, the whole team stood up and clapped and then the fans followed; the stadium (packed to the brim) began to clap; fans expressed love in a huge way (imagine about 39,000 folks there). 

 

Things didn't change much for Turner that night but the love continued.  My husband and I wondered if he felt even more pressure.  I have since read that fans even donated to Turner's cancer charity as a sign of support.

But Saturday, Turner came back.  He hit a home run that scored 3 points for our team.  The fans when nuts!  The standing ovation was so loud, we couldn't hear the announcers; the manager made Turner take a curtain call. and he waved his hat at the fans to thank them.  EVERYONE HAD GOOSEBUMPS!  Turner had a spectacular evening and it was so apparent from his body language and his facial expressions that he was a different man.  His game has been on point since then!

And Turner responded as well, posting huge billboards of his appreciation:

Sometimes things like this happen and it reminds me of how strong and important the power of love is.  It may have been just a baseball game but it's an excellent lesson for all of us.

I hope you have a week filled with the power of love!

I Like Thursdays: August 3, 2023

 

Good morning!  

It's "I like Thursday" and time to celebrate the good in life!  Each Thursday we try to post happy things on Thursday.  If you are in need of some positive energy, look up more of the posts by visiting LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color!

Things I like this week include residents in my garden.  I have a few baby bunnies living in the front and back yard.  My backyard bunny is smaller than a softball.  

My husband and I  love watching the hummingbirds and butterflies out back these days.  

We even had a very young hummingbird (no, not a hummingbird moth--we know the difference).  Anyway, the young hummer flitted about while Brad and I enjoyed watching it.  It was about 1.5 inches tall.  It was wonderful!

***

I took a day off....from everything last Saturday.  I can't remember when I had a day like this.  I didn't see my mom.  I didn't walk the dog (who is back at mom's).  I didn't even worry about cooking or cleaning.  I just stayed at home and didn't rush to care for everyone as I normally do.  I stayed in my pajamas for an hour longer than normal.  I said "yes!" when my hubby asked if he could make me breakfast.  I played in the sewing room and didn't make anything important.  I just played.   And then...I got another day off unexpectedly on Wednesday when my husband attended mandatory safety training at his company.   After we gave my stepson my car, we decided to only have one car and this is a benefit.

***

Every year we go through a summer ritual of cleaning debris off the back patio.  At first it is needles from the Cedar tree in early summer.  When then ends, the Arborvitae starts depositing seeds everywhere.  Either time the house becomes full of garden litter that is tracked in by us and especially my mom's dog.  It takes about 25 minutes to sweep the mess off the patio and 15 minutes later it doesn't look like we did anything at all.  My brother was over one morning and said, "You need a blower for this patio."  So I bought one and this week it arrived.  It's such a wonderful tool!  The patio is cleared in 3 minutes and I don't have to vacuum a few times a day.

I LOVE IT!  We call it "little Bess" because we love it so much!

***

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

I Like Thursdays: July 27, 2023

 

Happy Thursday!

Time for "I like Thursdays" hosted by LeeAnna.  Be sure to visit her for more positive posts!  We all need good energy these days!

Happily....

My husband and mother are both recuperating from their surgeries/procedures.  That alone is worth celebrating.  My mother says she is exhausted and so Kerry the poodle is still here for overnights.  It works out better; it's the first day of our latest heat wave and I want to walk Kerry at 6 a.m. before the heat really sets in (it's already so hot and thick outside).  Kerry LOVES being here.  She's made a bunch of friends in our neighborhood and has settled into our routine nicely!

I like rain!

The heat may be upon us but we've been getting regular rain and that makes life easier (for me and the garden).

This week I actually got a few minutes in the sewing room!  I'm not working on any major project.  Life is too chaotic these days.  But it's the perfect time to piece some placemats.  Our guild donates them to the local Meals on Wheels organization.  It's also a great way to use up scraps and leftover backing.  I figure even if I only get one placemat done a day (and sometimes that is all I can fit in), it's better than getting nothing accomplished.

I like things that remind me of happy times in my childhood.  My one grandmother loved dogs and had one until she grew too old.  Another grandmother had a great sense of humor.  She had a rubber dog in the living room on the floor and used to say that was her pet.  I have one just like hers (plus a smaller version).

Edward Mobley animals were produced in the late 1950s/early 1960s.  I gave one to my brother and he was so delighted.  It reminded him of fun at Nana's too.

Well it's time to take Kerry for her morning walk in the park.  Wishing you a safe and happy day!

I Like Thursdays: July 20, 2023

 

Welcome to another addition of "I like Thursdays"!  Today we celebrate all that is good in life.  You can read more positive blessings by visiting LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color.

It's been a week...

Brad is still recovering from surgery.  Mom had to be taken to the ER on Saturday.  She has another procedure today and hopefully this one will go well.

While she's in the hospital, her dog Kerry is vacationing with us.  It has been nice to have a dog in the house again.  Kerry has pretty much fit in to our routine. 

When I'm not at the hospital or caring for hubby, I walk her and she is enjoying socializing with folks and pups in our neighborhood.  She keeps hubby company while I'm at the hospital and leaving her mark in the house:

Other good things:

The lovelies in the garden.

Italian Ice, perfect for a hot and humid day and not too heavy to eat.  I like the lemon flavor:

Catching up and editing pinterest boards and other quilt related ideas on my tablet (at the hospital).

That is my life this week!

Have a safe and happy week!

I Like Thursdays: July 13, 2023

Happy Thursday!

It's "I like Thursday" and time to celebrate the good in life!  Please check out other happy posts by visiting our hostess LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color!

Today's best news is that my husband is finally feeling some relief.  He's been suffering with gall stones for a few months but it had been acute during the last three weeks.  Our doctor had advised us to take him to the ER if he had more acute attacks and he went on Tuesday.  The mere fact that he would agree to go illustrated his discomfort.  Anyway, they removed his gallbladder yesterday and he came home last evening.  As he put it, "I'm sore from the surgery but I feel 50 times better than when I went to the hospital."

Today's prompt is about county and state fairs.  I had shared about our Kutztown Folk Festival here but the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage recently did an article on the auction at the festival and you can read about it here.  Some good photos of quilts too!

Obviously, it's been a week of mainly caring for my husband.  I'm hoping to get some sewing in this week!  

Have a safe and happy weekend!

 

I Like Thursdays: July 6, 2023

 

Happy Thursday!  It's to celebrate the good in life and fill the internet with positive energy.  "I like Thursdays" is sponsored by LeeAnna; visit her blog for more wonderful posts!

This week I'm grateful for air conditioners.  It's high summer, the temperature and humidity are in the high 90s and I'm so grateful for the blessing of air conditioning.  I do remember that no one I knew had this blessed invention when I was a kid.  You had to go to a fancy store or a theater to experience the blessed breezes of relief.

This week's meme is on what kind of fair food do we like?  I suppose as a kid I liked ice cream and cotton candy.  These days I can't bear to eat anything heavy.  I am appreciating Italian Ice when I want something sweet.  I bought a box of the little cups at the grocery store and it hits the spot on these balmy days.  I also wonder if you ever were served french fries with malt vinegar at your fairs?  We loved that and never put ketchup on our fries.

I wish I could post more photos but my phone doesn't download onto the computer anymore.  I can't carry the camera everywhere :(

Wishing you a safe and happy day!

Happy Fourth of July!

 

Have a safe and happy holiday!

I like Thursdays: June 29, 2023

 

Happy Thursday and welcome to another day of gratitude.  "I like Thursdays" are sponsored by LeeAnna of Not Afraid of Color.  Be sure to visit other happy posts via her blog!

It's almost July!  It hardly seems possible.  But happily, we've been getting lots of rain this past week and the garden is looking full and lush again.  You could almost hear the earth sigh in relief and the birds and bees appear happy and busy again.

Our prompt this week from LeeAnna is about county fairs.  Our county fairs around here tend to be closer to the end of August and I think originally celebrated the harvest.  The Kutztown Folk Festival isn't a county fair but it's one I've visited many times.  Many of the old time crafts are featured.  But the best part is the quilt building.  Yes, I said BUILDING!

The quilts are all for sale plus there are quilting demonstrations often held there.  THE BUILDING IS AIR CONDITIONED as well for those of us who mind the July heat.  The quilts along the back of the room are the award winners and they are auctioned off near the end of the festival.  One went for about $15,000. one year.  

And speaking of Kutztown, Pa...my brother who has lived in Maryland for the last 30 or more years loves the news from this region which he says is always strange and unusual.  Here's a good one for him.  A few days ago, my alma mater, Kutztown University had to issue a security bulletin for the students and staff.  Apparently an aggressive cow was wandering around the campus.  Of course you may have already heard of this since it apparently made national news.  Trust the NY Post and Fox News to bulk up the story:

‘Aggressive cow’ terrorizes students in Pennsylvania college town, police respond

Actually the cow headed off in the woods that evening despite police and the farmer's attempt to catch the cow.  But wait!  There's more!  Cow was back on campus yesterday.  The cow eluded police again.  Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

Have a safe and happy weekend!

I Like Thursdays: June 22, 2023

 

Happy Summer everyone!  Well it's Thursday and I'm back to posting for "I like Thursdays."  Bloggers join LeeAnna to celebrate the good in life.

Last week was just really busy but I'm back now.  Here's some things I like!

Scott McGillivray's show, Scott's Vacation House Rules is back on tv and I always enjoy his humor and the banter between him and designer, Debra Salmoni.

After what seems like an eternity, PBS Masterpiece is back on our local channel.  Mom and I are watching Ridley.  The opening episode was okay.  We are waiting to see how this one plays out.

Speaking of British shows, a bunch of my family have these lengthy conversations about them.  My husband won't watch any of them so he is left in the dark.  Conversations begin like "Did you see...."  and end up with us trying to recall other series that featured the actors.  It's our kind of fun!

We finally got rain!

The gardening neighbors were texting things like "Yahoo!"  and "DANCING!"   The garden feels like it's dancing too.  There is no substitute for real rain in a garden and everything has perked up!

Our prompt this week is about our childhood and the ice cream truck.  We didn't often get the truck in our neighborhood and I don't really recall it ever being in the city where my Nana lived (and where we spent most of our time).  My husband doesn't remember the trucks being in his area much either.  What we did have were lots of drive-in little ice cream places that sold soft ice cream.  Hubby and I had a lot of fun reminiscing about those locations last weekend when we ourselves went for soft ice cream.

To be honest, money was tight for both our families.  We were more likely to get ice cream at home than from the truck or the ice cream stand.  Nana was raising her three younger children plus my brother and I and that's a lot of mouths to feed.  The dessert she served most often was watermelon.  Pop would pick melons up from local farm stands and it fed us and some of the neighbor kids too.

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

I Like Thursdays: June 8, 2023

 

Happy Thursday!

Time to roll out our list of things we like!  Please join us by visiting all the bloggers via our hostess, LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color!

First thing to like:  my husband's rapid recovery from hand surgery.  Even the physical therapist is stunned by his progress!

***

Garden visitors!  We've had a number of folks stop by the front garden this past week, mostly because of the impact of the Missouri Primrose blossoms!  It's so funny because all of them purposely walked by our house to see the garden.  One woman showed me that she keeps photos of our garden on her phone.  She even remembered the Suffrage Garden of 2020!  

Another couple believed they were destined to own the house.   Our address was the last 4 digits of their telephone number and they considered that a sign.  They lived a half mile from us but always made sure they walked by the garden.

Visitors like that are one of the benefits of having a garden.  You get to meet more neighbors!

***

Lana's prompt this week is about ice cream memories.  We didn't have many childhood rituals about ice cream.  But the best ice cream was at my Nana and Pop's house because they bought novelty things that we loved...fudgsicles, ice cream bars, sandwiches, etc.   My maternal grandparents lived on Sixth Avenue; my paternal grandparents live on Fourteenth Avenue.  My brother, sister-aunt, brother-uncle and I walked the long alley from Nana Betty's to Nana Elsie's to visit.  We were always greeted with Nana Elsie's novelty ice cream.

***

Wishing you all a safe and happy weekend!

I Like Thursdays: June 1, 2023

 

Happy Thursday!

Well it's time to be share our positive thoughts as part of "I like Thursdays."  Please visit other bloggers at Not Afraid of Color, LeeAnna's blog!

Best news this week is that my husband had successful hand surgery yesterday and is home and recovering.  He's managing the pain with just Advil and now we just need to make sure he doesn't get an infection in the incision.

This week's prompt is what kind of ice cream do we like?  Well my favorite flavor is mint chocolate chip and it's been my favorite since childhood.  But these days, I've got a lot of novelty ice creams in the freezer because my husband likes them so much this time of year:  ice cream sandwiches, nutty buddy cones, and the vanilla ice cream on a stick--coated with chocolate.

Other wonderful things:  little Gavin (age 5) goes for bike ride (he is still on training wheels) each evening.  I get a knock on my front door so he can give me a hug.  Best gift of my day!

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

I Like Thursdays: May 25, 2023

Good morning!

Well it's Thursday and time to share a happy post on the blog.  Like many bloggers I participate in "I like Thursdays" hosted by LeeAnna.  What do you like this week?

I like soaker hoses.  They make my job as a gardener so much easier.  The hoses save me money, time, and water the garden efficiently.  We are having a wonky spring here in eastern Pennsylvania.  It was a very dry April, then we got a week of gentle rain and now...two weeks of nothing again.  Speaking of the garden...

Our prompt this week is "if you could go on vacation right now, where would it be?"    I'd be right here in my garden.  I love Italy in the fall and winter.   I love the seashore in Delaware or Jersey in September.  I love Maine in July.  But spring and early summer is my favorite time in the garden and I just like to be here at home.

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday!

I Like Thursdays: May 18, 2023

 

Happy Thurday!

As always, many bloggers share what makes them happy on "I like Thursdays" posts.  LeeAnna our hostess has many happy posts so visit her here for more inspiration!

Things I like:

A new baby bunny living in our garden.  I got the best photo I could of the little bambino, who is much smaller than appears in the photo:

***

I finished Katie's quilt top!  No photo to share but sewing seems to go by the wayside during gardening season.  Today my husband and I will take it to Terri, my favorite machine quilter.  Katie lives next door and we have known her all her life.  I'm excited to get this done as soon as possible because her wedding is in September!

Now I get to do some "free sewing" and am excited to buzz around my sewing room as we await some much needed rain!

***

Our great-niece Remi had her first birthday and...she's walking!

***

This week's prompt is "Have you ever had a close encounter with any celebrities?  Seen someone in person, talked to them, etc.  Please tell us the details!"

We live close enough to NYC that we tend to just notice celebrities and keep going (which is what most people in NY do when they see celebrities).  Once I was kissed by a famous poet but for the most part, I just figure folks are folks and leave it at that (sorry, I don't get kissed and tell).

***

I like fuchsia.  I went to my local fabric store and on the way home noticed that one of the farms had a sign out for fresh produce.  We had visited the farm before and liked their produce.  I got my husband fresh asparagus and two hanging baskets of fuchsia each for under $15 (so full and mature they  would have cost me $50 for each basket here in town).  Score!

Have a safe and happy weekend!